CEN Claren Energy Corp

Coastal Energy Company (the "Company" or "Coastal") (TSX-V: CEN) (AIM: CEO), an independent exploration and production company with assets in Thailand, announces the preliminary results of the Benjarong A-02 exploration well in the Gulf of Thailand.

The Benjarong A-02 well was drilled to a total depth of 11,127 feet (3,391 meters) true vertical depth (TVD). The well encountered 30.5 feet (9.3 meters) of net pay in the Eocene reservoir with 15% average porosity. Additionally, a non-conventional zone with oil shows was encountered in the Oligocene limestone. The Company plans to test the viability of both the Eocene and the non-conventional play.

The Company has run completion casing on the Benjarong A-01 and A-02 wells and will begin completing A-01 this week. Once completion of both wells is finished, the drilling rig will be mobilized to Bua Ban and a mobile offshore production unit (MOPU) will be set at Benjarong to commence flow testing on both wells in the coming weeks. The spudding of the first Bua Ban well and the commencement of testing at Benjarong are both expected to begin during the third week of May.

Randy Bartley, Chief Executive Officer of Coastal Energy, commented:

"The Benjarong A-02 well was drilled into the Benjarong East structure, which is a separate structure east of the Benjarong A-01 well. Oil shows in both the Lower Oligocene and Eocene formations are indicative of the structure's potential; however, given the mixed results from log evaluation, commerciality cannot be determined until flow test results are analyzed. Testing at Benjarong will be performed using a MOPU and a hydraulic workover rig to minimize costs and allow us to proceed with the development of Bua Ban in accordance with our 2010 development schedule.

"Following completion of both wells at Benjarong, the rig will be mobilized to Bua Ban and will begin development of our proved reserve base there while the test results from Benjarong are analyzed and a forward plan is formulated. We anticipate drilling up to ten wells at Bua Ban in the second and third quarters. As each well is drilled, production will be tied in to existing fixed platform facilities."

Randy Bartley, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineering and Jerry Moon, Vice President, Technical & Business Development, a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, a Licensed Professional Geoscientist and a Certified Petroleum Geologist in the state of Texas, have reviewed the contents of this announcement.

Additional information, including the Company's complete competent person's report may be found on the Company's website at www.CoastalEnergy.com or may be found in documents filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

This statement contains 'forward-looking statements' as defined by the applicable securities legislation. Statements relating to current and future drilling results, existence and recoverability of potential hydrocarbon reserves, production amounts or revenues, forward capital expenditures, operation costs, oil and gas price forecasts and similar matters are based on current data and information and should be viewed as forward-looking statements. Such statements are not guarantees of future results and are subject to risks and uncertainties beyond Coastal Energy's control. Actual results may differ substantially from the forward-looking statements.

These securities have not been registered under United States Securities Act of 1933 (the "US Securities Act") or the securities laws of any state and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to US persons (as defined in Regulation S under the US Securities Act) unless an exemption from registration is available.

The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release is not for dissemination in the United States or through United States newswire services.

Enquiries: Coastal Energy Company Randy L. Bartley Chief Executive Officer +1 713 877 6705 William C. Phelps Chief Financial Officer +1 713 877 6727 Email: Email Contact Strand Hanson Limited (Nominated Adviser) Rory Murphy Paul Cocker +44 (0) 20 7409 3494 Thomas Weisel Partners (Broker) Paul Colucci +44 (0) 20 7877 4300 Macquarie Capital (Europe) Limited (Broker) Ben Colegrave Paul Connolly +44 (0) 20 3037 2000 Buchanan Communications Tim Thompson Catherine Breen Katharine Sutton +44 (0) 20 7466 5000